Analog In, Digital Out: Brendan Dawes on Interaction Design

Book Description

Creativity is an innate human impulse, many people believe,
something we’re born with but too often “grow out
of” as adult lives make more and more demands. Fortunately
for us, the creative drive continues to run strong in legendary
designer Brendan Dawes. Habitually alert to the happy accident, and
possessed of highly eclectic interests and a quirky wit, he has
happened into his perfect career. Around this habit–call it a
philosophy–of asking, “Why does this have to be this
way? What if . . .,” Dawes has built magneticNorth, an
acclaimed Web and interaction design practice, based in Manchester,
U.K. In this unique book, Dawes invites readers inside a series of
his personal projects to get a view of his process--his creative
seeing, making, and playing. He encourages designers to look beyond
the normal tools of their trade to find inspiration in the most
unlikely of places: tubs of children’s clay, anonymous notes,
household plumbing fixtures, jazz music, snow globes, fast-food
take-out bags, airport departure gates, and more. Brilliant,
original, and always grounded in the needs of users, Dawes shares
both the techniques he has created and the key lessons he has
learned in design: why comfort is the enemy of creativity; how
mistakes can be celebrated instead of feared, and how to strip
design to its purest and most powerful forms. Known worldwide for
his entertaining and inspirational presentations, Dawes now brings
profound insights to a book that is certain to become a classic
inspiration for designers of every type. Brendan Dawes is Creative
Director of the interactive design group magneticNorth, based in
Manchester, UK. His clients include the Walt Disney Co., the BBC,
Kellogg’s, and Coca-Cola. Dawes’ work has been featured
in numerous journals, including idN, Creative Review, MacUser,
Computer Arts, Create, The Guardian, and Communications Arts. He
was also featured in New Masters of Flash and other books, and is
the author of Flash ActionScript for Designers: Dra,g Slide, Fade.
Dawes spends much of the year speaking at conferences around the
world, including the HOW Design Conference and Flashforward .